Convection ovens are widely used in restaurants for cooking a variety of food products. Many fast food restaurant menu items require rapid cooking, and such restaurants have found it advantageous to cook those items in a convection oven to expedite the cooking time. In a convection oven, it is necessary for an internal blower mechanism to be engaged during operation, to force the heated air through the convection oven chamber. This blower mechanism increases the effectiveness of the oven, but presents a safety hazard. Specifically, the fan element of the blower mechanism is accessible through the oven door. The fan is seated behind an air panel, which panel can be removed. This allows the fan element to be cleaned after the oven has been used. In existing ovens, a risk exists that the blower mechanism could be activated (possibly by the activation of the cooldown cycle) while an operator is cleaning the fan element.
Ovens are known in the art in which the fan element is powered off when the oven door is opened. However, such ovens are unsuitable for use because the oven only cools efficiently when the oven door is ajar and the blower is running. By disabling the blower when the oven door is opened, even slightly, effective cooling is curtailed. Accordingly, a need exists for an oven having a safety mechanism that allows the door to be opened partially, to permit the oven to cool, without deactivating the blower. However, once the oven door is open sufficiently to allow an operator to access the blower mechanism, the blower is deactivated. The present invention provides such a failsafe convection oven assembly. The present invention also provides many additional advantages which shall become apparent as described below.